The APO Secretariat held a fully online conference titled Conference on Global Trends in Policies on Marine Debris and SMEs on 17 July. The conference aimed to raise awareness of and share the latest global trends on this topic.

Twenty-six participants from nine APO member economies attended the conference, and the sessions were delivered by three resource persons, two from Japan and one from the Philippines. The resource persons provided an overview of global trends in countermeasures and policies addressing marine debris and plastic pollution and outlined the implications of these issues for businesses and the environment. They also provided insights into policies and regulations on marine debris in member and nonmember economies, highlighting success stories of innovative actions taken by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have made positive contributions to the environment.